Hieromartyr Philip, Bishop of Heraclea

Life

By all appearances they were Slavs. They served God in Thrace, and there were first subjected to tortures for Christ. When the pagans rushed to burn down the Christian church, the courageous Philip said to their leader: "Do you think that God is enclosed in stones? He lives in hearts." The church was destroyed, all the books were burned, and these clergymen were led away to Adrianople, where after imprisonment and tortures they were cast half-burned into the river Maritsa. Another thirty-eight Christians perished with them as martyrs. They are believed to have suffered in the time of Diocletian.